# Event Details - **Event Name**: Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 01 Jul, 2026 at 03:00 pm – Wed, 01 Jul, 2026 at 07:00 pm - **Event Description**: Mānawatia a Matariki! We’re looking forward to our Celebration and the lantern hīkoi on the 1st of July! We'll have school and community performances, hot soup, Hāngī, a Lantern Hīkoi along the Railway Reserve, Fire Poi, African drumming and more! Our annual celebration of the Māori New Year, a time for remembrance, celebrating the present & looking forward to the future. The theme of the event this year is Matariki Herenga Waka – For Everyone. A theme that encourages everyone to come together to celebrate Matariki, embracing the values of reflection, celebration, and preparation. This year we are planning to take our hāngī back to the roots...literally...by cooking all of the kai in baskets woven with harakeke (rourou / kono). Not only is this revitalizing Mātauranga Kai Māori but it will reduce our landfill waste from the hāngī by 100%! Please bring your lantern or torch & wrap up warm. Children under 12 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. We ask that people stay at home if they are feeling unwell. The success of this event is only possible because of the help and enthusiasm of local people so if you would like to be involved, to volunteer, donate or sponsor the event please do get in touch. Give us a call on 03 546 8389 or email steve@victorycommunity.org.nz Approximate timeline: 2.45pm - Free soup for tamariki and whānau 3:30pm - 4:30pm VPS School Performances - School Performance - Opened by Ngāti Rārua - Centred around the theme Matariki Herenga Waka; a national theme that celebrates inclusion, connection, and people coming together. Tamariki will be putting on a Matariki-themed wearable arts show. 4:30pm - 5:30pm Community Performances – Thanks to Te Rōpū Whakatipuranga Kapa Haka Group, to the Sri Lankan Matariki Performers, to the Karenni-Burmese Dance group, to La Corale Community Choir and to Dance Mob Nelson. 5:30pm - 6:15pm Kai to be served * Fire Poi & African Drumming Entertainment as well as a Light Art Projections! 6.20pm - Lantern Hīkoi – A map of the route will be available closer to the time. * ticketing for the hāngī will be a bit different this year. We will look to prioritise people who help weave kono and then school whānau first and we will be using the humanitix ticketing platform. Kono will be available in a small size, serving two people for $15 and in a large size, serving four people for $25. There will be a veggie hāngi option, a heads up that the stuffing contains egg. We will be limiting to eight portions per purchase so we can share the kai as far as we can around our community. The route for the Hīkoi is the same as recent years, we will head south along Vanguard St from Victory Primary School then up on to the Railway Reserve. We will then head north back to the Community Centre. Stewards and First Aiders will be at several points along the route as well as accompanying us during the hikoi. The VCC carpark will be closed to traffic from 1:30pm - 8pm. Thanks to the amazing people and organisations who are helping to make this year's event happen... Victory Primary School Ngāti Rārua Karolina Gorton Community Organisation Grant Scheme Nelson Tasman Methodist Parish Community Artworks Dance Mob Nelson Electoral Commission - Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri English Language Partners Nelson Fire & Emergency NZ Nelson Gravity Events InRhythm La Corale – Community Choir Meat Solutions Nelson City Council Nelson Environment Centre Nelson Light Collective Sport Tasman TCC Te Puni Kōkiri Victory Community Church Viva La Vaca Whakatu Rotary - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/nelson/victory-matariki-celebration-and-lantern-hīkoi/200030156857619 - **Event Categories**: sports, music, art, entertainment, nonprofit - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details ## Event venue details - **city**: Nelson - **state**: NE - **country**: New Zealand - **location**: Victory Community Centre - **lat**: -41.282951354306 - **long**: 173.26861720813 - **full address**: Victory Community Centre, 4 Totara St, Nelson South, Nelson 7010, New Zealand, Nelson ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/569ac3e96b228ac7c505ea971c05e66e1a345f3d8e1e467ef09eaeb6dca40a35-rimg-w1200-h675-dc0c1035-gmir?v=1782453804 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi being held? - **A:** Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi takes place on Wed, 01 Jul, 2026 at 03:00 pm to Wed, 01 Jul, 2026 at 07:00 pm at Victory Community Centre, 4 Totara St, Nelson South, Nelson 7010, New Zealand, Nelson. - **Q**: Who is organizing Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi? - **A:** Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi is organized by Victory Community Centre. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi is ideal for sports fans, athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone who loves the thrill of live competitive action and the energy of a crowd. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Nelson, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "SportsEvent", "name": "Victory Matariki Celebration and Lantern Hīkoi", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/569ac3e96b228ac7c505ea971c05e66e1a345f3d8e1e467ef09eaeb6dca40a35-rimg-w1200-h675-dc0c1035-gmir?v=1782453804", "startDate": "2026-07-01", "endDate": "2026-07-01", "url": "https://allevents.in/nelson/victory-matariki-celebration-and-lantern-hīkoi/200030156857619", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Victory Community Centre", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "4 Totara St, Nelson South, Nelson 7010, New Zealand", "addressLocality": "Nelson", "addressRegion": "NE", "addressCountry": "NZ" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "-41.282951354306", "longitude": "173.26861720813" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Mānawatia a Matariki! We’re looking forward to our Celebration and the lantern hīkoi on the 1st of July! We'll have school and community performances, hot soup, Hāngī, a Lantern Hīkoi along the Railway Reserve, Fire Poi, African drumming and more! Our annual celebration of the Māori New Year, a time", "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Victory Community Centre", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/victory-community-centre/10389511", "description": "A multi-cultural community centre located at Victory Primary School and a hub of community activity in central Nelson. We provide community owned, low cost, affordable and accessible services and activities that promote health and wellbeing." } ] } ] ```